Reunion
by cheergirlejami
Summary: Ten years have passed since graduation and most of the members of New Directions have left Lima to begin their careers. What happens when they get invitations for their 10 year high school class reunion? Finchel, with surprise pairings along the way. Story on Hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

Reunion

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX.

Author's Note: This is my first Glee fanfic. I hope you enjoy it and please feel free to let me know what you think about it. This story takes place in the future. Ten years have passed since graduation and most of the members of New Directions have left Lima to begin their careers. What happens when they get invitations for their 10 year high school class reunion? Who will attend and what will occur when they return to McKinley High?

Santana Lopez muttered under her breath cursing as she looked at the mass amount of mail the courier had left for Rachel in her dressing room. Now as she sorted out the mail in various piles she almost regretted firing Rachel's personal assistant last week, but she had little tolerance for incompetent fools so she'd just have to deal with this little inconvenience until she found Rachel another PA.

She normally wouldn't even be doing this type of menial work even if Rachel was one of her top clients. The only reason she was helping was because Kurt had guilted her so badly or she would have told Rachel to open her damn fan mail herself. Managing Rachel when she had first started to get noticed by the networks had been a stroke of pure genius on her part along with her own dogged determination to make it out of that godforsaken town of Lima. Plus it never hurt that Rachel was still slightly intimidated by Santana even after all of these years.

"Santana, I can hear you cursing," Kurt Hummel's voice broke Santana out of her thoughts of who she could blackmail to take over as Rachel's personal assistant, there had to be someone in her firm that was competent enough to handle this job, no matter how demanding Rachel was in her requests for things to be done her way.

"She could answer this junk herself," Santana remarked as she continued to sort out the postcards from the various colored envelopes containing letters, frowning slightly over the pics on some of the postcards since they were plastered with images of Rachel and her co-star Tucker McIntyre, the fastest rising couple on Destiny's Journey, the number one daytime soap opera.

"Well if you hadn't of caused Chastity to have a semi-nervous breakdown last week you wouldn't be having to help me," Kurt reminded Santana only causing him to receive a look most would consider to be dangerous, but Kurt was not scared of Santana, he had too much dirt on her to ever be in her debt.

"She was a wuss," Santana claimed and was ready to toss another letter on the table when a return address caught her eye, Mr. Will Schuster, McKinley High School, intrigued she started to open the letter only to have Kurt reach out to grab her hand.

"Santana, all we have to do is sort the mail for Rachel, she reads it herself," Kurt had already told Santana this one time earlier although Santana ripped this letter open before he could stop her.

"I'm curious," Santana stated handing Kurt the torn envelope causing him to raise his eyebrows when he saw the return address too.

"What could Mr. Schuster want with Rachel?" Kurt asked not wanting to invade Rachel's privacy, yet he was as curious as Santana was wondering what was inside the letter.

"I'm her manager, I can read it," Santana cited as she opened what looked like an invitation. She quickly scanned the invitation rolled her eyes and tossed it to Kurt who immediately read it.

"I guess we will be getting one of these too," Kurt was reading the information then checking his blackberry for his upcoming schedule, two weeks would be tough for any of them to make this event, yet he felt compelled they should all attend. "You need to check Rachel's itinerary."

"Do you really want to go to this?" Santana asked, knowing how limited all their return visits to Lima had been ever since they had moved out to Los Angeles from New York when Rachel had received the part of Rebecca Bennett on Destiny's Journey.

"Yes, I am going back in all my glory if only to rub it into those narrow minded individuals we had the misfortune of going to high school with of how famous and successful I have become, all three of us are going," Kurt exclaimed thinking how fabulous it would be to face all those people who had made fun of him, now he had made it and most of them were probably just scraping by to pay their bills.

"Well it might be fun," Santana contemplated what Kurt was saying thus not hearing Rachel enter the room, returning from makeup with script in hand.

"What might be fun?" Rachel asked, thinking if Santana thought something was fun it would probably be something she definitely wouldn't want to be a part of, while she trusted Santana completely as her business manager, she was somewhat wary of her when she wanted them to go out together.

"Rachel, come here sweetie before we get you dressed, you just have to read this, I am having Santana clear your calendar for two weeks from Saturday, we have an event to attend we just can't miss," Kurt motioned her toward him handing her the engraved invitation and anxiously awaiting her response.

Rachel took the invitation from Kurt glancing over it immediately shaking her head, "No way in hell am I going to this soiree Kurt Hummel. Are you insane? Santana please tell him there is no way we can clear the calendar that quickly."

Knowing that this would be a perfect way to pay back Rachel for insisting she had to help with her PA duties until she found her a replacement Santana sweetly smiled as she looked over Rachel's upcoming schedule, deleting a few things and exclaimed, "Calendar is clear on that Saturday Rachel, we can go."

"No!" Rachel stomped her foot, wishing she could get away with throwing a diva fit on two of her best friends, although she knew they would not be fazed in the slightest by her antics.

"We are going Rachel, can't you see this is poetic justice, we are returning to McKinley High as winners, we made it, hell you are one of daytime's biggest stars, not to mention if Santana can work out the details you will probably snag a record deal within a few months after the ratings shot up for Destiny's Journey when Rebecca sang during the episode while she tried to bring Michael back from the brink of death."

"Rebecca Bennett's singing on the show has brought up the Neilson ratings for Destiny's Journey almost an entire point knocking The Young and the Restless out of first place for the first time in almost a decade," Santana informed Rachel as she reached into her briefcase pulling out the latest ratings for all daytime. "Numbers don't lie and this is just going to help me negotiate your new contract with Destiny's Journey for us all to get even more money than before. We are on top!"

"You both know why I don't want to go," Rachel said with a sigh, "I just can't face him."

"How you have avoided him for this long has amazed me," Kurt stated thinking of the few times Rachel had came back to Lima it was only for short periods of time, many not more than a few hours to visit with her two dads, and she would be gone before anyone knew she was there, she claiming she didn't want to cause a spectacle, which really was absurd considering how Rachel had always told anyone within a ten mile radius who would listen she was going to be a star when she left that town.

Before Rachel could respond her co-star Tucker came into the room, instantly noting the tension in the room as soon as he entered. "What is going on guys? You all look like you got a pink slip. Oh god, Rachel you didn't get one of those did you? I mean we have been rocking it lately, but you never know what that imbecile Kenny will decide is best for the show next."

Rachel gave Tucker a weak smile, she didn't need to worry him with her mood swings, even though her co-star was even moodier than she ever thought of being and that was saying a lot. "No pink slip Tucker, Kurt and Santana are trying to guilt me into going back to Lima for our ten year high school class reunion, but I am not going."

Well she was a big star now and it irked Kurt she wasn't even going to consider going back, he really hated resorting to pulling out the big guns on her, but really it was for her own good.

"Don't make me say the F word Rachel," Kurt warned her causing a look of consternation to instantly come over Rachel's face.

Tucker started to laugh, "For god's sake Kurt I've heard you say fuck before, we all have."

Santana snorted her laughter, "Oh Tucker the F word for Rachel is not fuck."

"No it's Finn," Kurt said making Rachel instantly drop her script, placing her hands on her ears before rushing out of the room in a huff, still dressed in her robe, completely forgetting that she had to get dressed and be on set for her first scenes of the day in less than thirty minutes.

Santana and Kurt just burst out laughing; they were used to Rachel storming out of rooms ever since their days in Glee club. Rachel Berry was going to their class reunion if they had to drag her all the way to Lima kicking and screaming, no way were they going to miss it.

Not even if Kurt had to refrain from saying the F word in her presence…


	2. Chapter 2

**Reunion**

**Chapter 2**

**Author's note: Just wanted to say thank you to all who are reading this story, I really appreciate the reviews and those who added my story to their favorite list. This chapter brings into play some of the other characters involved along with some insight into how close Rachel and Kurt have become as friends. Plus we get to see s glimpse into what Finn is doing now. Hope you enjoy please let me know your thoughts.**

**Disclaimer: Glee characters are not mine; they belong to Ryan Murphy and Fox. Tucker, Leslie & Kenny are my creations.**

"As much as I love seeing Rachel riled up I have to be in a meeting with the executive producers over her contract negotiations," Santana stuffed her papers back into her briefcase, and then stood up straightening the very short and tight skirt of her business suit, pursing her lips in a mock kiss in the air to both Tucker and Kurt. "Ciao boys!"

"Well at least I know how to get Rachel to leave a room whenever I need for her to from now on," Tucker said calmly being used to his co-star diva antics, not that his were any less dramatic, at least he had something new in his arsenal to help keep her in line when he needed.

"She'll be back in a minute, I have to get her dressed for the upcoming hospital scene and she is too much of a professional to be late to film her scenes," Kurt arose going to the rack of clothes he had picked out for her from the show's wardrobe department, he being the fashion coordinator for the entire cast of Destiny's Journey was finally his chance to ensure that Rachel was properly dressed at all times. She may be a star but in Kurt's opinion her fashion sense was still severely lacking even after all of these years.

"So Finn was the one?" Tucker asked Kurt.

"If you mean the one whom Rachel can never seem to forgot no matter where she goes or what she does, then yes my step brother Finn is the one, not that she would ever admit it." Kurt reached for one outfit only to discard it as soon as he looked at it closely, thinking it wouldn't do Rachel justice under those harsh lights being used on the hospital set.

"You know sometimes she gets this far away look in her eyes when she is trying to reach for an emotion to use during a scene. I've asked her before how she can turn those beautiful brown eyes on me and look at me like I am the only man in the world and she just shakes her head and says she is just a fantastic actress."

"One thing our girl Rachel has is confidence in her talents," Kurt agreed, then added softly, "just wish she had as much confidence in her personal relationships."

"We couldn't ask for a more loyal friend than her," Tucker added extending his hand for Kurt to grasp.

"I don't know of anyone else who would have agreed to such a ridiculous plan after you thought our relationship was discovered by Leslie, I mean Rachel coming to our aid without any hesitation was something I won't ever be to repay or forget," Kurt smiled as he reluctantly let go of Tucker's hand. They couldn't afford any more close calls like they had a little over two months ago, especially when Leslie went all hysterical claiming she was going to tell anyone who would listen that Tucker was swinging on the other side of the fence. Tucker's leading man status on the soap could be in jeopardy with the execs of the show if the news came out before he was ready to reveal the nature of his true relationship with Kurt.

Of course Leslie had been perplexed a few days later when Tucker gave Rachel an engagement ring, and then later pissed off as hell when Kenny thought this would make for some awesome publicity for the show. Two of the main characters of Destiny's Journey were involved in one of the most volatile triangles in the show's history were now engaged to married.

The soap community would eat this up, and thus began an escalated fan war between the Real fan base (Rebecca & Michael) and the Deal fan base (Destiny & Michael) along with Leslie declaring war on both Tucker and Rachel. She was going to bring them down; they were not going to take her spotlight away from her. Something wasn't right about their newfound love and she was going to do whatever it took to get to the bottom of it.

Finn had his domestic violence report written, it had taken him a few hours after they had finally got the situation under control, out of all the things he had to do at the police department the domestic violence calls always seemed to affect him the worse. He just hated to see families torn apart and those types of calls many times involved children and if he had the call in DEFACS it was even worse.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose hoping to ward off a headache he felt was sure to come, the stress of the call had been huge. As he looked over his synopsis, he checked to make sure he had all the details correct. If the case went to court he had to be prepared to testify and if his report was flawed in any way it could cause a verdict to go against the victim of the crime instead of helping them.

Satisfied he had written up the report to the best of his ability, Finn went to turn it in to his lieutenant Lauren Zizes Chang, his shift commander. He entered her office without knocking; being the shift sergeant he was Lauren's right hand man, both worked well together to keep the shift running smoothly. He was hoping for a quick in and out session with her but as he walked into the room he was greeted with a sight that never failed to mystify him.

Lauren was a badass police officer that was for sure, but one thing she tried never to miss if she could possibly help it when they worked dayshift for the police department was taking her lunch break during her favorite show, Destiny's Journey, and unfortunately for him Noah was watching it with her today.

He hadn't even thought of the time before he had come into her office, if he had he would have waited just a little bit longer before turning in his report. He almost turned around and left but before he could escape unnoticed he heard Puck whistle at him.

"Finn, you have got to see this, damn Rachel is looking fine today," Puck remarked as he sat next to Lauren watching what Finn thought was the stupidest soap opera to ever air in the history of television.

"No thanks, I'll pass," Finn was ready to toss the report on Lauren's desk and leave, but of course Puck's next comment stopped him dead in his tracks.

"She does my race proud, too bad I didn't tap that ass back in the day," Puck remarked causing Lauren to hit him on the arm.

"You are so sexist. Do you want me to write you up?" Lauren asked giving Puck a menacing look which only made him laugh.

"Girl you may have broken my heart and be a married lady, but you know you will always have a soft spot for me," Puck winked at her and went back to watching the show.

"More like you'll always have a soft spot for me," Lauren replied and then shushed him. "Don't make me miss this part. It's getting good."

"Oh yeah, looks like she'll be shedding some clothes in a few minutes," Puck remarked making Lauren roll her eyes at him.

"All I want to see is that fine specimen of a man shed his," Lauren countered really making Finn want to get out of there.

If truth be told Finn didn't need to see Rachel on that soap opera with almost next to nothing on, yet he was compelled to see what all the fuss was about. He wished he hadn't looked, her character was in the midst of a love scene and Puck had been true to his word, she was definitely shedding some clothes.

When did daytime TV get so racy? Finn thought wishing he wasn't seeing Rachel in almost next to nothing on the screen, this wasn't going to help his already dark mood today, and he didn't need to be thinking of her that way.

Puck looked up at Finn who was obviously lost in thought and said, "Too bad you didn't get to tap that either, huh?"

Finn just turned on his heel and left the room without a word. If they only knew the truth…


	3. Chapter 3

**Reunion**

**Chapter 3 **

**Author's note: Thanks to all who are reading this story, I appreciate the reviews and those who added my story to their favorite list. This chapter delves into the past, 5 years to be exact. Hope you enjoy please let me know your thoughts.**

**Disclaimer: Glee characters are not mine; they belong to Ryan Murphy and Fox. Tucker, Leslie & Kenny are my creations.**

_**5 years earlier**_

Rainy nights were kinda hazardous many times on the roadways, Finn thought as his police car approached the wreck. Even before he was up close enough to assess the damage between the vehicles, he knew it was bad.

He had been closest in vicinity to the accident scene when the call had come in over his police radio from 911 dispatch so he had responded he was in route. The steady downpour of rain was diminishing his vision somewhat as he heard the sounds of sirens in the distance growing louder with each second.

The black Range Rover had proven to be no match for the transfer truck which had apparently slid in the roadway possibly in an effort to avoid impact yet with the roadway being slick with the vast amount of rainfall the back trailer had jackknifed into the oncoming traffic. He just hoped there would be no fatalities, but it was highly unlikely given the destruction of the vehicle which had been partially crushed.

He took his flashlight from his utility belt and switched it on, the beam of light eerily casting jagged shadows upon the wreckage. The driver's side of the Range Rover had taken the brunt of the hit and Finn's intuition that the wreck had brought about a fatality was ascertained when he looked inside the vehicle.

She had long dark hair and a familiarity about her that struck Finn as being odd since he didn't think he knew her. He crouched down to reach inside the overturned vehicle amidst the broken glass hoping he would be able to find a pulse with no such luck.

He needed to call the coroner along with the OSP; they would have to record the findings on the fatality. He was picking up his radio to place the call into 911 when he heard a small voice whimpering. He almost thought he didn't hear the faint voice that he could be imaging it at first and then he heard the words.

"Mommy are you okay?"

He peered into what was left of the back seat to find a little girl strapped in her seatbelt, dressed in what looked like a pink ballerina suit. A suit that was marred with garishly dark stains of blood.

Finn's voice remained calm even though he knew the little girl must be terrified not to mention the possibility of being seriously injured. "Sweetheart don't move help is coming." Don't be scared I'm going to stay with you. All right?"

"Promise?" she asked softly.

"I promise," Finn replied.

Puck was the first other officer to arrive upon the scene getting there only a few minutes before the EMT's arrived in the ambulance. The OSP arrived barricading the roadway, to ensure no oncoming traffic would enter the accident scene.

Finn kept talking to the little girl trying to keep her from being more scared then she already was as the rescue workers operated the jaws of life to retrieve her from what was left of the smashed up vehicle. Finally they were able to get her out immediately taking her to the ambulance Finn taking her small hand in his as Puck stayed with the rescue workers while they managed to extract the body of the driver.

Puck looked at her, god she looked familiar and then it hit him as his eyes traveled to the little girl on the stretcher ready to be put in the ambulance, a little girl who had blonde hair. He knew this woman and his heart lurched thinking he knew the little girl too.

"Finn, can you come over here?" Puck asked feeling like he was about to throw up.

Finn spoke a few words to the EMT's telling them he would be back momentarily to ride with the little girl to the hospital. He walked back over to where Puck was standing beside the woman whom the EMT's were about to pull a white sheet over.

"What's up man? I need to stay with that little girl because it may be a while before the rest of her family is notified. Have they even found out who the woman was that was driving the car?"

"We've got to call Quinn and Rachel?" Puck's voice was shaky, he usually didn't let things affect him like this on a call, but this was different.

"Why do we need to call them?" Finn asked before the realization hit him too. No wonder the woman looked familiar.

The woman was Shelby Corcoran, Rachel's mom and the little girl had to be Beth, Quinn and Puck's daughter.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Reunion **_

_**Chapter 4**_

**Author's note: Thanks to all who are reading this story, I appreciate the reviews and those who added Reunion to their favorites list along with the favorite author additions too. It means a lot to me to know that people are enjoying the story. I am open to all thoughts and constructive criticism so please feel free to let me know what you think of how the story is unfolding. **

**This chapter continues into the past from the current time frame I have constructed of the 10 years since high school graduation. Chapter 4 will deal with the aftermath of Shelby's accident which makes the graduates close to age 23 depending on their birthday right now. There will be a few more chapters involving flashbacks to explain the motivation of some of the characters. **

**Disclaimer: Glee characters are not mine; they belong to Ryan Murphy and Fox. Tucker, Leslie & Kenny are my creations.**

"Call Lauren so that she can get someone else from the shift to drive my police car to the hospital," Finn instructed Puck, both still not quite sure how they needed to go about informing two of the women who had such an impact on both their lives although in very different capacities.

"I'll get right on it and meet you there as soon as I can," Puck said taking another look at the little girl who had now been loaded into the back of the ambulance.

"I've got to go with her, she is scared out of her mind," Finn stated as he caught the wistful look Puck had on his face.

"Yeah go," Puck shrugged thinking maybe it was best Finn was riding with Beth, the daughter he never had been given the chance to know after Quinn had convinced him they needed to give their baby up for adoption. She would be seven now, being born during their sophomore year of high school. A year in which he had realized no matter how hard he tried to convince Quinn he could be the man for her and their daughter, she had never even given him much of a chance.

Well that was in the past, he had moved on with his life, now he was on the right side of the law instead of being the juvenile delinquent that he had been so proud of during his misguided youth. Even though he had not went the route of many of his friends after high school and attending Ohio State or even out of state college he had eventually went on to the local community college where he got his associates degree. Then with Lauren's encouragement he had joined the police department and now he was on his way to trying to get a degree in criminal justice like Finn.

Too bad Lauren had ended up falling in love and eventually marrying Mike Chang who was now the mayor of Lima. He never would have guessed Lauren would find someone else, always thinking he would have time enough to start dating her seriously after he had stopped playing the field, but by the time he was ready to settle down with her she had calmly told him he was too late.

He sighed thinking that was the story of his life, too little, too late. He guessed at least there was one bright spot while his personal life was a continuous string of loose women whom he had no interest in ever allowing them to be Mrs. Puckerman at least he had a job he could be proud of, he and Finn both had chosen an honorable career path.

Finally after about an hour at the wreak site he was able to arrive at the hospital. He quickly located Finn; it really was hard to miss him since he usually towered over most of the people in this town.

"Hey, is she okay?" Puck asked wishing he could go into the emergency room with his child even if that child had no clue that he was her father.

"The doctor is in with her now, so I'm just waiting to hear from the department of Family and Children Services on how to take things from here." Finn looked down at the sheet regarding Beth Cochran that had been on file at the hospital and it had shocked him when he realized she had no other family listed beyond her adoptive mother Shelby.

"Why would a social worker be getting involved in her case?" Puck asked immediately on the defensive, thinking surely there had to be more family for this little girl.

Finn handed him the sheet, "Look for yourself, Shelby is the only family listed for the child. I had to call, it's protocol Puck."

"Fuck protocol Finn, you and I both know she is mine," Puck felt his blood pressure rising, no way was his and Quinn's child was going into foster care. It just wasn't right.

"You signed your rights away to her," Finn quietly reminded him which only infuriated him even more.

"Quinn talked me into that bullshit," Puck replied wishing again for what seemed like the thousandth time that he had done things differently. "I shouldn't of ever listened to her and kept Beth myself."

"Puck you were both kids, no way could you have been able to raise her," Finn began only to have Puck cut in before he could finish his statement.

"If Quinn would have believed in me we both could have done it," Puck shook his head thinking of all the lost time he could have known his own flesh and blood if he hadn't of been so afraid.

Hearing the sadness in his friend's voice made Finn realize how far they had come since their sophomore year in high school, best friends now once more after they had both gotten past what or rather whom had driven them apart, Quinn Fabray.

"If it helps any, I called Mercedes," Finn said causing Puck to cast him a wry smile, Mercedes was by far their preferred social worker, not only was she great at her job she was still one of their closest friends. Her personality could smooth over even the most volatile situations they sometimes encountered in their line of work. "Let's just see what she has to say before you try to go all badass on me. You know Lauren won't let you interfere with policy, no matter how much she likes you."

"I am her favorite," Puck added which only made Finn roll his eyes. It was no secret on the shift that Lauren still cared for Puck and did her best to keep him in line. Finn couldn't recall how many times Lauren had pulled him aside asking him to help keep Puck from destroying his career as a police officer. So between she and Finn they did their best to keep him from going all rogue cop on them which sometimes he had a tendency to do given his strong personality.

"Which only means she won't let you have a say so in the matter Puck, you are too personally involved," Finn stated thinking they still needed to contact both Rachel and Quinn out of courtesy. "So do we need to flip coins on who calls Rachel and Quinn?"

"Afraid to call them yourself?" Puck raised his eyebrow in question.

Finn shook his head, "No, it's just…"

"What that you've messed up both of their lives?" Puck asked partly in jest, partly with a hint of jealously thinking of how both of them had fought for Finn's love during high school and even beyond.

"You of all people should understand," Finn gave Puck a look which he immediately dismissed.

"No if I had been in your position I would have been thanking the stars above, you had not one but two incredible girls in love with you, yet you blew that all to hell." Puck never was one to shy away from saying what he truly felt which sometimes was really a strain on their friendship.

"I'll call Kurt, since he and Rachel decided to be in New York I can let him break it to her and you can call Quinn," Finn felt better after making a decision knowing neither one of them would be happy to hear from him no matter what kind of news it might be.

"You my friend are chicken shit," Puck pulled out his cell phone scanning his contacts for Quinn's number.

"No, I just don't need the added stress," Finn stated matter of fact. "We've got a long night ahead of us without all of their added drama."

"Yeah I guess Quinn is still pissed you broke off your engagement and Rachel is just pissed at you in general," Puck chuckled as he managed to duck a swipe from Finn before he walked over to a quiet corner in the hallway as he dialed Quinn's number.

Finn took out his phone pulling up Kurt's number from his favorites contact list. It would be better for all concerned if Rachel heard this news about Shelby from Kurt. As much as he hated to admit it Puck was right Rachel was still harboring bad feelings toward him and he knew without a doubt she wanted nothing to do with him at all.

Sometimes no matter how hard you tried you just couldn't make things right, he and Rachel were prime examples of that notion he thought sadly as he dialed his step brother's number to tell him the news that Rachel's birth mother was dead. 


	5. Chapter 5

_**Reunion **_

_**Chapter 5**_

**Author's note: Thanks to all who are reading this story, I appreciate the reviews and those who added Reunion to their favorites list along with the favorite author additions too. It means a lot to me to know that people are enjoying the story. I am open to all thoughts and constructive criticism so please feel free to let me know what you think of how the story is unfolding let me know your thoughts. **

**This chapter continues into the past from the current time frame I have constructed of the 10 years since high school graduation. Chapter 5 is still dealing with the aftermath of Shelby's accident and how her sudden death affects many people. There will be a few more chapters involving flashbacks, bear with me these are important for the current timeline of the fic. I haven't forgotten about Rachel either, she will be back in full force in chapter 6.**

**Disclaimer: Glee characters are not mine; they belong to Ryan Murphy and Fox. Tucker, Leslie & Kenny are my creations.**

Mercedes Jones found Puck and Finn in what appeared to her to be quite a serious discussion, most times she had to stop them from arguing over the most inane things such as what was the best video game ever, Finn defending Halo: Reach to Puck telling him there was no way in hell that crap could touch Call of Duty: Black Ops. Personally Mercedes could care less although sometimes she would toss out comments to them just to get them fired up.

Tonight though they both looked tired and deadly serious, she knew it had to be important for Finn to call her this late, she guessed it would be a sensitive case that they wanted her help with to sort out the details. Well whatever it was, it had two of her best friends looking very apprehensive.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Mercedes sat down between the two of them, her briefcase in hand as she began what was commonly known as a preliminary interview for a new case file.

Finn looked to Puck who had an unusually worried visage, which was odd with him being the main prankster among their group. This instantly put Mercedes on edge, as she began to take out the necessary items from her briefcase she would need to work with while they remained silent.

"Finn shouldn't have called you yet," Puck started off only to have Finn shoot a look of pure disbelief.

"Yes, I should have called Mercedes," Finn sometimes thought Puck would always need to have him around looking after him. Many times his best friend did not think before he spoke or acted.

"It's 2 in the morning and I'm in no mood to mediate a fight between the two of you so you best be getting to the point and hopefully I can maybe get at least an hour of sleep before I am supposed to be in the office in the morning," Mercedes warned them both, giving a look that dared them to defy her.

Before Finn could begin Quinn was upon them rushing in causing Mercedes to wonder exactly what was going on if Quinn had been called especially since things had been tense between her and Finn after he had called off their wedding only weeks before it was to occur.

"Let me see her," Quinn was out of breath looking as if she had ran all the way into the hospital corridor from the parking lot, her usual persona of being cool and collected completely absent as she looked frantically from one to the other.

"See who girlfriend?" Mercedes questioned thinking she must have walked into some kind of freaky episode of The Twilight Zone because none of her friends were making any kind of sense right now.

"Beth, where is she?" Quinn asked causing them all to rise from their seats to stop her from running off into the emergency room.

Finn thought he better get it out before he had Quinn running amok in the hospital making demands she had no right to do given her situation. "Mercedes, Shelby Cochran was in an accident tonight."

"What does this have to do with Beth? Is she hurt too? And why in the world would you call Quinn?" Mercedes fired off a round of questions so fast Finn wondered which one he should answer first.

"Puck called me because I am her mother," Quinn looked near the point of tears, thinking the worst case scenario that the child she had given birth to was severely injured.

"No, Shelby is her mother, you gave her up for adoption," Mercedes hated to point out the obvious to Quinn which she had done several times in the past when Quinn would get drunk and cry wanting to see the child she had given up years ago.

"Mercedes, Shelby is dead," Puck stated in a monotone voice wishing he could pull Quinn up next to him to comfort her, god knew he was feeling so many emotions right now that she must be reeling from the news too. He knew from experience she wouldn't allow him near her, every time he had tried to get close to Quinn again she always pulled away from him.

"Beth doesn't have any next of kin listed in her medical records," Finn explained causing both Quinn and Puck to look at one another wondering what kind of impact this would have on their lives.

"So you see why I have to see her, to make sure she is all right," Quinn cast a nervous glance down the hallway to the emergency room doors. "She needs me. I'm her mother."

Mercedes hated to state the obvious to Quinn, but she had to say it before Quinn went and did something stupid causing them all to get into trouble, "Honey, Beth doesn't know you. You're not her mother; Shelby is all she knows as being her mama."

"Was Mercedes, Shelby was her mother, but she is dead," Puck reiterated knowing he was going to do whatever it took to be able to protect his child even if he had to make Mercedes and Finn angry with him. Neither one of them were going to stop him or Quinn for that matter from seeing her tonight. "Quinn and I are her parents whether she knows us or not and we are going to go see her. I don't care about any fucking rules or regulations."

"Finn they can't do this, I'll have to see what I can do but it will be morning before I can get approval for them to approach her and even then I am not certain it would be the right thing to do," Mercedes began hoping Finn could make them both see reason.

"Guys, Mercedes is right, you can't go in there, the doctor hasn't even come out to let us know her condition." Finn knew they weren't going to understand, hell if he were in their shoes he probably wouldn't either, but he had to try to make them stay away from Beth if he possibly could.

Quinn reached over and grabbed Puck's hand, "Let's go, I don't care what they say either. I want to see my baby."

"Puck don't do this," Mercedes hated to beg them but she had to try, if any of the supervisors at Family and Children Services caught wind of this she would be hard pressed to explain her way out of it.

Quinn pulled on Puck's hand never even looking Finn's way or acting like she'd heard either one of them as they starting walking down the corridor to the emergency room. Puck squeezed Quinn's hand in reassurance and left both Mercedes and Finn standing there watching them go.

"Damn Finn, this is going to be a huge mess," Mercedes lamented knowing they were powerless to stop them unless they wanted to cause an even bigger scene in the hospital.

Finn nodded his head in agreement, thinking this night was going to be one they were all going to remember one way or another for a very long time to come.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Reunion **_

_**Chapter 6**_

**Author's note: Thanks to all who are reading this story, I appreciate the reviews and those who added Reunion to their favorites list along with the favorite author additions too. Sorry it has been a while since I updated, I had a death in my family which hit me pretty hard and I am just now getting back to writing on my fics.**

**Chapter 6 will continue to deal with the aftermath of Shelby's accident and how her sudden death affects many people. There will be a few more chapters involving flashbacks, bear with me these are important for the current timeline of the fic, this chapter along with the next one will bring to light why Rachel and Finn are hesitant to see one another again. **

**I had also mentioned Rachel would be back in this chapter and she is, but not in the way I had previously hoped, my muse insisted on more back story so Rachel will be present in the following chapter beyond Finn's recollections in this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Glee characters are not mine; they belong to Ryan Murphy and Fox. Tucker, Leslie & Kenny are my creations.**

"What are we going to do Mercedes? I just never thought they would actually try to see her," Finn asked the feeling of unease growing as Mercedes continued to nervously pace in the narrow hallway. Finn didn't want any of them to get into trouble with their respective jobs. Puck and Quinn making contact with Beth was only going to confuse this little girl even more too.

Mercedes stopped her pacing and turned to face Finn. "I can speak to the patient advocate Cheryl and try to explain to her that these are extraordinary circumstances and to please allow Quinn and Puck to spend some time with Beth. I'll go to her and try to see if she can cut us all some slack so that Puck, you and I all don't get our asses chewed out by our respective bosses for crossing a very tentative line. Maybe she will understand if I tell her about them being her birth parents and that you are in the process of trying to contact her only other known living relative beyond Quinn and Puck's families."

Finn shot up a questioning look at Mercedes immediately shaking his head; he didn't want to call Rachel. She had made her choice a long time ago concerning whether or not she wanted to hear from him and the last time they had spoken she had told him in uncertain terms there wasn't any room in her life for him at all.

It still made him mad because apparently he was the only one that she didn't care to see and yeah maybe Quinn, then again she and Rachel had never been real friends anyway, but for Rachel to shut him out of her life after all they had been through together was just unbelievably hypocritical. He had thought she loved him, god knows she had told him that enough during their high school years yet somehow it had all went astray right before they graduated and then went to different colleges.

Finn had been patient with Rachel during their senior year of high school, while they had come close numerous times to making love somehow when it came right down to actually doing the deed, she would freeze up and plead for him to give her just a little more time. He had known she was afraid of becoming intimate with him. She would cry when she'd tell him she just wasn't ready because what if he broke up with her right after they did it.

Of course he told her that would never be the case, yet no matter what Finn would say, she still had it firmly entrenched in her mind that she would somehow fail to match up to Santana even though he said time and time again that while yes he had sex with Santana it wouldn't be that way between them because they loved each other, truly loved each other. It would be special because it would be them expressing how they felt for one another.

While Rachel was impressed with Finn in what she called his newfound eloquence in matters of the heart she was still hesitant to let go and fully trust him. Thus her reticence to take things any further began a stalemate in their relationship. It didn't help matters that Quinn was still determined to get Finn back before they graduated high school and one night when Finn had too much to drink at a celebratory party after sweeping the basketball regional playoffs and making it into the final four spot for the state championship he had succumbed to her charms.

Rachel hadn't come to the party that night; her dads had taken her to Columbus for dinner and a special theater adaptation performance of _Avenue Q_. She had told Finn she would see him Monday at school. A Monday Finn wished he had never lived, especially when Rachel heard the gossip surrounding his and Quinn's party hookup.

To be quite honest, Finn didn't remember much beyond Quinn coming on to him after he had drunk one too many beers with Puck. He really had tried to get her off of him, telling her that he loved Rachel which only made Quinn try all the harder to seduce him. In the end, his inebriated state along with being a typical horny teenager had proven too much for him to resist her amorous advances and they had sex.

Rachel was heartbroken especially when Quinn proudly admitted to her and anyone else who would listen that once again she had lost Finn to her. That Rachel wasn't woman enough for him and she was and would continue to be the right person for Finn Hudson.

Finn was ashamed, not only had he had sex with another girl other than Rachel, he didn't care for Quinn either, not like he cared for Rachel. Yet Rachel refused to believe him stating at least she had found out the truth of his intentions and she hadn't given herself to him.

With her head held high even though her eyes were glistening with tears, Rachel told Finn they were over, she had almost lost focus on what was most important to her and that was achieving fame and fortune outside of this pitiful excuse of a town called Lima. She thanked him for helping her see the error of her ways, something she wouldn't let another boy try to sidetrack her from her promising future. She didn't want or need him; she would be fine without him.

So for the remainder of the year, Rachel was courteous to Finn, yet she maintained her distance. She never allowed herself to be alone with him and when the time came and they needed to practice duets for glee club, she made sure to always have Mercedes, Sam, Tina or Kurt around. It frustrated Finn to no end, but her newfound friends were nothing if not loyal to her, if he tried to get her alone somehow one of them found a way to interrupt them. Plus it didn't help when they reminded him that he needed to respect her wishes especially after he had broken her heart again.

Rachel proved to be an exceptional actress, she would sing and look at Finn like she stilled cared about him, but he knew it was all an act on her part concerning him. Winning Nationals their senior year turned out to be bittersweet, the jubilation over winning the coveted title for New Directions was dimmed somewhat when he pulled Rachel into a hug without even thinking about it. Momentarily she had melted into his arms, until he felt her stiffen up and she looked at him for a second with tears in her eyes and before he knew it she extricated herself from his embrace and left him standing all alone.

After graduation, she and Kurt had went to NYU together, and even when Finn helped them move their tiny apartment she was nice to him, painfully so, but she never went beyond a measure of determined self control around him. It was like they were almost polite strangers in a way and it hurt him to know he had been so stupid to lose the one person's love and friendship he had wanted more than anyone else's in the entire world.

Even though she never gave him any reason to hope for a reconciliation Finn didn't give up for almost a year, and then when he realized Rachel wasn't going to budge, he finally stopped calling, texting or visiting them in New York. When they came home for visits, he would find something else to do.

Attending Ohio State had been good for him, it kept his mind off of wanting Rachel and in time Quinn finally convinced him to give her another chance and they started dating again. It was easier with Quinn during college and their subsequent graduation from Ohio State, he wasn't in love with her, but he wasn't alone either.

He had even thought he could marry her, going so far as to buying her an engagement ring, but when the time drew nearer for the wedding he just couldn't do it. He couldn't imagine growing old with Quinn, she was all right for now and in the end he realized they both deserved better.

Quinn had been upset understandably so, begging him not to do this to them, that they could work it out, but he had held his ground. Their breakup had been ugly, Quinn always knew how to say the worst things that managed to cut Finn down to pieces, yet her words didn't hurt him this time around , not like Rachel's had years earlier. When everything was said and done between him and Quinn it was more like a weight off his shoulders than any kind of heartache he thought he might feel. He guessed his heart couldn't be broken anymore after Rachel had gotten finished with him.

So with his criminal justice degree from Ohio State he joined the Lima Police Department, determined to do the best job he could and he had done that for the past year, work had kept him busy and he found out that he was really good at police work. He enjoyed working at the department, but nights like these were terrible and now he needed to call Rachel.

"Finn, wherever you have went to in your mind right now I need you to focus," Mercedes snapped her fingers in front of his face instantly bringing Finn out of his reverie of Rachel.

"Sorry Mercedes, I just have a lot on my mind," Finn arose knowing no matter how much he hated it, he needed to call Rachel, and it was the right thing to do even if hearing her voice was bound to bring back unwanted memories.

"Don't we all? Look, if I didn't need to speak with the patient advocate before things blow up in our faces, I'd call Rachel myself. I have missed that girl something fierce myself along with your brother Kurt. They are two of my best friends," Mercedes gave him a half hearted smile, wishing that Finn and Rachel were still friends. It never ceased to amaze her how stubborn Rachel could be concerning Finn.

Hearing Kurt's name from Mercedes made Finn think he would go with his original plan, he would call Kurt and he could tell Rachel. Tonight Rachel needed to hear this news from a friend and sadly he wasn't her friend anymore.


End file.
